Ramada Plaza Marco Polo Resort and Park1 host Super Bowl 2020 program

Excitement was in the air as almost 200 members of the Aventura Marketing Council/Chamber of Commerce streamed into the Marco Polo Hotel in Sunny Isles Beach for a recent Breakfast Meeting all about Super Bowl 2020 coming to Miami. The meeting, sponsored by the Marco Polo and Park One, featured Bill Talbert, President & CEO of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau and Mike Zimmer, President of the Miami Super Bowl 2020 Host Committee, as the keynote speakers.

The Persian Room of the Marco Polo looked beautiful as tables and chairs were decked out in white linen and the buffet tables were heaped with delicious breakfast items. General Manager Sean Marchessault and Dana Wilson, Director of Sales, greeted guests as they arrived along with the student NJ-ROTC cadets from Krop Senior High School. Ben Launerts, Region Vice President of Park Ones, announced that with a recent merger and really great community partners, Park One is now the largest provider of parking services with 15,000 locations throughout the nation. Park One’s clients include the Aventura Mall, Marlins Stadium, Brightline stations, City of Coral Gables and the Miami Boat Show.

Marchessault introduced Mike Zimmer, President of the Miami Super Bowl 2020 Host Committee. Zimmer spoke about the excitement surrounding Super Bowl 2020 coming to Hard Rock Stadium on February 2, 2020, ensuring that not only is this a record-breaking 11th Super Bowl game to be played here, but it will also be the 100th anniversary of the NFL, giving us an incredible opportunity to showcase all of South Florida. “The bid process was long and complicated with many cities vying for Super Bowl 2020, but with the tremendous support of Steve Ross and his commitment to Hard Rock Stadium, we are now back in rotation for more Super Bowl games.” He added, “There will be a team hotel in Aventura, with hotels and events throughout South Florida. So, what’s different from the 2010 Super Bowl held here and Super Bowl 2020? Let’s start with Super Bowl LIV at the beautiful Bayfront Park. About 99% of the people don’t go to the game with tickets running $5,000, so with Super Bowl LIV, we will have free fan activation the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before the game, and then again, the Thursday, Friday and Saturday just before the game. And we’re working on having a Super Bowl Watch Party on game day, Sunday, February 2nd. Fans will enjoy concerts, fireworks and more for a truly super family event.” Volunteers are key to the success of any Super Bowl, and in 2020, they will need 10,000 volunteers. “We will have one-on-one interviews with 18,000 volunteer candidates, with each one going through a background check, in order to wind up with 10,000 volunteers…a monumental effort! We need great volunteer ambassadors, and we encourage all of you to register at www.miasbliv.com. Volunteers will touch every person who comes to our community. Minnesota and Atlanta had unbelievable volunteers, but I think we’re going to have the best! As a volunteer, you’ll be at the Super Bowl Experience on the beach, Super Bowl LIV at Bayfront Park.” Hundreds of millions of dollars will pour into South Florida as an economic impact, and minority businesses are encouraged to register at Business Connect to become part of the Super Bowl 2020 resource guide. The Legacy Program of Super Bowl 2020, to be announced in late April, will involve all three counties and they are looking at the environment for this program.

Launerts introduced Bill Talbert, a 20-year veteran of the industry, calling him “Our Superman of tourism and hospitality”.

Talbert wore his Super Bowl 1999 jacket, appropriately signed by Dan Marino, Roger Goodell, Dick Anderson and other football luminaries. “Do you know the price of the first Super Bowl ticket? What about the price of a ticket in 1999?” Aventura Mayor Enid Weisman had the right answers:
$12 for the first Super Bowl ticket, and $325 in 1999. “The ticket price for the 2020 game will be $5,000. So if you want a ticket, I gave out my business card with my cell phone on it. And if you call me, I’ll turn it over to Mike Zimmer! But this community is on fire about Super Bowl—we’ve got so much to offer! We have the enormous American Dream Mall rising up in northwestern Miami-Dade, the 800-room headquarter hotel at our spectacular new Convention Center with a 6-acre park across the street. And I have a feeling that the World Cup will be awarded to our community because we do big events so very well.” Talbert spoke proudly about the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, saying “We sell-sell-sell! We bring tourists, special events, meetings and conventions, and not just to convention centers…we bring direct business to hotels and all the industries that surround these events. But the most important thing we must remember is that we must treat this Super Bowl, our 11th one, as if it were the first. We cannot take anything for granted. That means that each and every one of us becomes a representative for our community…. the hospitality factor is key! We will have thousands of VIPs and tourists here in South Florida during Super Bowl, and we must never take them for granted…our personal ‘thank you for coming here’ is so important—YOU become the face of South Florida to people from around the world.